England launch new Canterbury kit for London Sevens

Canterbury and the RFU have unveiled the new England Sevens home and alternate shirts at Twickenham Stadium with the two shirts expected to spark debate among fans over whether to support Team Home or Team Away.
Launched by members of the England Men’s and Women’s teams, the shirts will be worn for the first time at the London Sevens, the last tournament of the 2012-13 IRB HSBC Sevens World Series, taking place at Twickenham next month.
Both shirts have been created with the English rose at the heart of the design using a pixelated image of the iconic rugby emblem. The home shirt has a more classic look to suit fans who favour a traditional style. Using the established all-white style, the red and green colour of the rose is emblazoned on the front of the shirt in a triangular design.
The alternate shirt offers fans a livelier look to match the entertaining atmosphere at the London Sevens. Positioned in triangular shapes, the colours of the rose blend together to represent the fluidity and speed of the game.
To mark the unveiling of the new shirts and to recognise the very different design styles, Canterbury has launched its ‘Home or Away’ campaign, which asks fans to pledge their allegiance to the home or alternate shirt by voting on www.canterbury.com/England or tweeting their preference with #HomeorAway to @canterburyNZ.
Canterbury will also be unleashing seven ‘Home or Away’ taxis, which will be wrapped in the design of the shirts on the capital. Rugby fans are challenged to spot the taxis, take a photo and send to Canterbury via Twitter or Instagram tagged with #HomeorAway or email to [email protected]. All photos received will automatically win a prize, from money off vouchers to a new England Sevens shirt to tickets to the London Sevens.
Canterbury CEO Chris Stephenson said: “Sevens is becoming one of the fastest growing sports, and appeals to a wide audience. With this in mind, we have crafted two very special shirts, representing a home and alternate proposition. The Marriott London Sevens is only a month away, which I’m sure will exceed the record-breaking crowds of last year. We are keen to get the fans ready for the event, indulge in the atmosphere and decorate the whole of Twickenham in either Team Home or Team Away.”
To celebrate the launch of the shirts, Canterbury has also released a new Lego video depicting a race through London between Team Home and Team Away to make it to Twickenham for the England Sevens photocall. The Team Home video can be viewed here and the Team Away video can be seen here.
RFU Chief Commercial Officer Sophie Goldschmidt commented: “It’s fantastic that Canterbury is launching a campaign to generate excitement and debate amongst fans for the new England Sevens kit. As we get closer to the Marriott London Sevens at Twickenham in May, we hope the country will get behind the teams and vote for Team Home or Team Away.”
The final tournament of the IRB HSBC Sevens World Series is the ninth tournament of the series, which has already been hosted in Australia, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, New Zealand, the United States, Hong Kong and Japan. The Glasgow Sevens will take place on May 4-5 but the shirt will not be seen on the pitch until the Marriot London Sevens on May 11-12.